Hostile Takeover
by Lucrenzia
Summary: Crossover with Kindred: The Embraced. Response to QPC #112. Willow's computer company is in danger from a corporate raider.


Title: Hostile Takeover  
  
Author: Carol (lucrenzia99@msn.com)  
  
Rating: PG 13  
  
Pairings: Willow/Julian Luna  
  
Disclaimer: Willow of BtVS belongs to Joss Whedon and associates. Julian belongs to whoever holds the rights to the television show Kindred: The Embraced. (Um...White Wolf?) I'm just borrowing these characters for a while to play with. I promise to put them back when I'm done.  
  
Buffy spoilers: AU after graduation.  
  
KtE spoilers: None. I'm thinking AU completely  
  
Author Notes: This is in response to Jinni's Quickie Challenge for pairing #112. Dedicated to Jinni who wanted Kindred the Embraced fic to jumpstart her muses.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Willow glanced in the mirror. Her makeup was impeccable. Her long hair was up in a no nonsense bun. She was clad in a navy blue business suit. It brought out her paleness and her vibrant red hair. She looked every inch the professional.  
  
She had come a long way from the shy computer hacker in high school. She no longer resided in Sunnydale. After graduation, she just didn't have the heart to stay and fight the forces of darkness any longer. She had lost her beloved boyfriend, Oz. She took up her parents' offer to pay for tuition to M.I.T. She never looked back and she never regretted the decision.  
  
Now, she was the owner of her very own computer software start-up company. They were an affiliated subsidiary of Microsoft. Her company produced software to run in conjunction with all the many flavors of Microsoft product. It was lucrative and it was her entire life.  
  
Yes, she had managed to flourish professionally but at the expense of having no personal life. She spent long hours making her company the best it could be. She didn't begrudge time spent hyping or managing her company. She did miss the creative side of the business. She missed the problem solving process involved in fixing buggy code. But she didn't miss not having time for frivolous romances with gold diggers or social climbers. She knew that they were just after what she was worth.  
  
So, she had no life and if this jerk had his way, no company. She wasn't going to sit idly by and let some corporate raider destroy all that she had built. This wasn't just a company. It was her baby. If she lost this, then what did she have to show for? And what about her employees? They were the closest thing she had to a family. She barely spoke with her ever- busy parents.  
  
She put on her resolve face. Her company was not going to be another statistic. Not if she had anything to do with it. Julian Luna can take his offer and shove it where the sun doesn't shine.  
  
She was fully prepared to tell off the reclusive Mr. Luna until she got a good look at him. He was handsome. His short black hair was slicked back to draw attention to his striking features. Dark brown eyes stared at her as if looking into her very soul. He exuded an aura of power and absolute control. Commanding presence just didn't seem to do him justice. Willow guessed that this was what ever they had in mind when the word charisma had been coined.  
  
Willow was surprised that he would come out of his big mansion to come to this meeting. Maybe it had something to do with the trouble that Willow was causing for Mr. Luna's lawyers. She was making this takeover as painful as possible. She pulled out every trick in the book to delay. She was not going quietly into the night.  
  
Julian stood as the C.E.O. of Rosenberg Software entered the conference room. He knew that the president was a woman and a difficult one at that. He had not been informed of her pixie like beauty. She was a petite firecracker that was giving his acquisitions department fits. He had come to this meeting personally to oversee the matter. Maybe his old school charm would be able to smooth over any difficulties.  
  
Willow approached Julian to give him a piece of her mind but faltered as he took her hand and placed a chaste kiss upon her knuckles. "It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Ms. Rosenberg. I'm Julian Luna."  
  
~~~~~  
  
Thus their relationship began. He had started it in the hopes of charming her out of her company. He failed in that mission but gained a more valuable prize. He gained her adoration and her love.  
  
He wined her and dined her. She wasn't easily swayed. She was a challenge. She brought a breath of fresh air into a long and dreary life. She was absolutely perfect for being an addition to the clan and hopefully his life.  
  
Yes, Julian was considering making her a Ventrue. She epitomized the values that the clan held in high esteem. She was computer savvy which would be beneficial to improving the clan's holdings. But how to bring that up into conversation. Well, if she refused then he would use the powers of mental manipulation at his fingertips. He would wipe the memory and replace it with something less harmful to the Kindred community.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Willow hoped that tonight would be the night that Julian would take things a step further. He was a gentleman and didn't push the physical side which was very sad really. Willow was raring to go and wanted an escalation in physical activities. She wanted to know what lurked under that very prim and proper immaculately tailored business suit. But she didn't want to scare him off. She had finally gotten a life and it was with him. She didn't want things to end. Not if she could help it.  
  
She dressed with care for the evening out. They were going to the opera. He did enjoy taking her to cultural outings. She would be wearing forest green velvet formal for the outing. She hoped he would like it. He loved seeing her in green. He said it brought out the emeralds in her eyes. She hoped that the velvet would be a lure to get him to touch her and maybe something more. It was devious of her but she liked it.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Willow sat back in the comfort of the limousine. Julian sat down beside her and offered her some champagne. She gave a smile and took the flute. He placed the bottle back in the ice and turned to her. She was sipping the champagne and looking out the window of the car onto the darkened streets of San Francisco.  
  
"Willow I have something that I would like to discuss with you. It is regarding our future."  
  
Willow almost choked on the champagne. It went down the wrong way and she had a fit of coughing before she recovered. Julian smiled as he patted her back.  
  
Willow blushed. "Um.sorry for the coughing. You took me by surprise there. What would you like to talk about?"  
  
Julian took her hand and looked down. He was trying to find the correct phrasing so not to startle her too much. He took a deep breath and looked into her lovely green eyes. "Willow, how do you feel about eternity?"  
  
~~~~~  
  
Willow fondly remembered that night. It was almost comedic in nature. Willow thought he meant marriage when he was talking about embracing her. She naturally freaked when he revealed his true nature. She thought she had gotten away from the supernatural. She was wrong.  
  
He tried his whammy but it didn't work. Willow had seen too much from living on the hell mouth and helping a slayer. She knew that vampires existed and nothing he could do would change that fact. She just didn't know that there were two kinds. When she asked to see his game face, he understood that she thought his was of the demon kind and not kindred. She had never known any kindred to her knowledge.  
  
When he calmly explained the differences, she settled down. She had to think about it. She swore that she would tell no one. Who would believe her? She had lived in Sunnydale. She knew the ingenuity of a human populace determined to not see anything out of the norm.  
  
He had her watched carefully. He couldn't let her break the masquerade. He was the prince of San Francisco and he had to enforce the law. He would be sad to order her death but it was necessary. Luckily, she consented. She wanted a long life to do what she just didn't seem to have time for at the present. She never regretted her decision.  
  
~~~~~  
  
So, here she lay on silk sheets waiting for her lover, her sire, her prince. He was a passionate soul. He showed her the wonders of the world. She was so thankful. Her eyes had been opened to what the real joys of life were. Funny that she had to die to understand that. But that death was only temporary, when she awoke she was kindred and of the clan Ventrue.  
  
Julian strolled into the master bedroom. He took in her naked form as she lay nestled in the pillows. She graced him with a come-hither smile. He grinned and quickly removed his clothes to join his favorite childer. She brought a vibrant energy to his old life. She renewed him. He had regained love that he thought he would never have again.  
  
"Were you waiting long my lovely Willow?"  
  
She shyly smiled up at him as he lay down next to her. She reached up and kissed him softly on the lips. "Not long my dashing Prince. Not long at all."  
  
THE END 


End file.
